


count to three

by cephea



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-20 17:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1519475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cephea/pseuds/cephea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>izumi still knows how to count and tajima doesn't need an invitation</p>
            </blockquote>





	count to three

You had thought you were going to die from the first person you made out with. It was Hamada in the locker room and your embarrassingly lacking sense of self-preservation. You’d known someone was inevitably going to barge back in to get their things; practice was over, showers were petering off, and everyone hated being there enough to want to get home faster than they knew how to walk. 

But he had been laughing with you, and it really had been kind when he’d offered to help with your homework the week before, and his terribly (terrible) radiant smile had been big enough you knew you’d be forgiven for the fuck-up if you kissed him. Except it hadn’t a fuck-up and he’d murmured consent as you leaned in and for weeks after that you’d trusted each other with that secret of the third bench over.

It had been a sturdy bench. It never splintered into your sweaty palms as you held your body weight up behind you. It didn’t leave too much of a bruise when the worn edges of it dug into your lower back. It hid just around the first corner you'd need it to.

But you had both been too young and too loud and the first time your freckled fingers had dipped under his waistband and grasped just skin you’d been caught by the captain. If it hurt that Hamada had never once spoken to you again until high school, well, you’d already been convinced you’d die of embarrassment.

 

\-------

 

You had thought the second person you made out with was kidding when he asked but. It was Mizutani and he hadn’t asked with malice and you had sort of understand the context. You had both been perched on his bed and it had made you feel a little cornered.

But he had asked how you felt about Chiyo and you’d replied she was gorgeous. Then he had asked how you felt about Mihashi and you had grabbed your guts from the gutter and you'd replied that he was gorgeous. He hadn’t laughed or inched away. Just. Asked how you knew and stared inquisitively.

It had been awful at first. And then it never got better. He had had breath like rotting fish and his lips had been so chapped bits of them had peeled away against your teeth when you tried to pull at them and he had had no idea what he was doing and had grimaced completely and wholly at you as he pulled away.

But he had admitted you were really good at it and it would have been nice except something about it had been horrid and he never wanted to kiss you again. You had laughed openly and freely because it’s okay it’s okay you don't like boys it’s fine now you know for yourself. He’d restarted the game and leaned back into your shoulder and nothing had changed.

 

\-------

 

You wish on the power of all your worst haircuts that you knew how to ask person number three. See him perked up at a job well done, see him flushed from effort, see him overjoyed with physical affection from his other friends. And you stew. Because you are vindictive and not a good person and you’ve told him that and you want to stew in your own misery. So you will.

But he smiles at you, too, most days. Laughs with you. Relies on you to help navigate the gargantuan task of communicating with people who don’t even bother with listening. It’s irritating because why should they even get to hear if they can’t put in respect to listen but, but, but. It helps him and he appreciates it and he smiles at you, too most days.

It’s easy enough to be satisfied with proximity on days where he asks for help in class, trusting you to know the answers, knowing you well enough to know your grades are a reflection of effort and not understanding. It’s easy enough to ignore the knowledge that sometimes you learn the material just to teach it to him. Easy enough except he starts sitting closer and closer and you know what he probably doesn’t when his thighs lean into yours and his eyes gleam up at you from under birds nest bangs and thank you for sparing your time for him.

It’s easy enough to twist towards him and rest your left hand on his thigh and your right just under his ear and guide him slowly slowly until he gets it and leans in on his own. You hum lightly and he pulls away with a quiet ‘hah’ and his eyes slide away towards the papers on the desk, towards the door, the window, everywhere but you. You gently release his face and slide your free hand underneath the bunched up fist on his other thigh; rub your thumb across the calloused fingertips that now rest in your palm and you wait. You wait until his puffs of breath dissipate into regulated breathing, until his eyes settle and close, and his shoulders stop shaking and you part your fingers through his so that his hand cups yours and it’s awkward positioning but. It reassures him.

You think he might pull away when he turns to you. He’s embarrassed, a little ashamed, and a lot confused as he leans in again and you meet him halfway. His kisses are gentle pecks that miss and graze the side of your mouth as much as they meet your lips. You laugh and lean your forehead in against his and smile for him; he grabs at your waist and you both fall over backward when he tries to pull you into his lap. You barely catch your weight against your forearms and he looks at you like that’s the most graceful thing he’s ever seen and pulls you down by your giant elephant ears and kisses you slow so he’ll learn. And you kiss and you kiss.

You kiss.

 

\-------

 

(Tajima knows just by looking when he sees you both next. He grins like the devil and promptly invites himself in and you watch Mihashi splutter at his lewd suggestions and slurp your juicebox exactly the way you know makes Hamada mad until you hear:

"C’mon Mihashi you’re the ace I’ll be your catcher I’ll be your number two!"

You groan because you know that’s exactly the kind of trick that might work on Mihashi and when he fixes his gaze on you next you know you’re in for trouble.

"Izumi!! I’d be four, yeah? Lemme bat clean up you’ve already hit to third, right, lemme bring you home."

You groan because that’s exactly the kind of trick that definitely works on you and Mihashi and Tajima are laughing and the utter euphoria in your gut at the sound signals your defeat.

And you kiss.)

 

\-------

 

 


End file.
